Leonid Slutsky slumped against a wall, pointed an index finger to his temple and with eyes closed he puffed out his cheeks.

It had been one of those exasperating days for Hull City’s head coach at the Madejski Stadium, another afternoon sent to test his once bouncing spirit.

For 87 minutes Slutsky had watched his side comfortably hold Reading at bay. City had been cautious but a diligent plan had worked perfectly.

Fraizer Campbell’s calm, first-time finish separated the teams for almost an hour and all the Tigers had to do was to hang on.

If only. Just as Slutsky was beginning to believe he had cracked a code that had driven both Mike Phelan and Marco Silva to distraction on their travels last season, along came an equaliser to turn three points into just one.

Most would have accepted such a haul ahead of kick-off but that reality offered no consolation to a head coach still searching for a lucky break in the Championship.

“It is very difficult to analyse,” Slutsky said afterwards. “We were very close to winning and we need a win (away from home) like fresh air. Everybody is very disappointed because we had more chances to win and we controlled the match.”

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Jaap Stam, Reading’s relieved boss, offered a different view and suggested Jon Dadi Bodvarsson’s late equaliser had been fully warranted for a side that boasted 74 per cent of the possession, yet only one manager will have kicked the cat when walking in their front door.

City should have flown home from Berkshire toasting that elusive first away win. After three straight losses on their travels they had produced a far more compact performance to consistently thwart a limited host. An opponent that had reached the Championship play-off final in May was made to look woefully short of attacking ideas.

The Tigers, though, are nothing if not generous. One defensive lapse, with men committed forward in search of a second, was all it took for Reading to snatch a point that had appeared beyond them from the moment Campbell had fired City into a first-half lead.

And so the wait goes on, 23 games and counting without an away win. Just five of those have come under Slutsky but two Championship points from a possible 15 outside of East Yorkshire is a record he cannot be proud of.

“A mental problem is difficult to research or change,” said Slutsky, who before visiting Reading had hinted at a broader endemic when City play away from the KCOM Stadium. “We worked very hard and we had patience as well. We just need to win and we will wait for that win to come.”

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Amid the promise of Saturday’s point was a thread of naivety that is running through City’s season. Much like the trip to QPR last month, a winning position was surrendered when their opponent had begun to look beaten. Defensive lapses keep on costing the Tigers, whose only clean-sheet this season came against a Bolton side that has only scored four goals in nine games.

This was undeniably two points dropped, not the one gained as most might have expected at the Madejski Stadium. Slutsky’s persistence with a three-man defence had been vindicated by a well-drilled team performance that happily presented Reading with possession that counted for very little.

FRUSTRATED: Leonid Slutsky head coach of Hull City during the Sky Bet Championship match at the Madejski Stadium, Reading. (Image: Focus Images Limited)

Liam Moore’s free header from a left-wing corner was the only save Allan McGregor would make until Bodvarsson struck late on as City’s keeper was afforded levels of protection seldom seen on the club’s travels.

The Tigers were calculated at the opposite end but their one big chance of the first half had told. Reading’s reluctance to track Seb Larsson deep in enemy territory had allowed the Swede time to pick a pass that Chris Gunter failed to cut out. That left Campbell’s intelligent, arcing run to be rewarded by a confident finish beyond former City loanee Vito Mannone.

Campbell is unlikely to ever produce the heroics of his first spell in City colours after so many years blighted by injury but this was a reminder of his predatory instincts that helped take the Tigers into the Premier League in 2007-08. Even as a lone centre forward, the focal point of what was often a 5-4-1 system, he caused Reading troubles.

City had ridden their luck when Sone Aluko, another former servant, had fired Roy Beerens’ square pass wide with the goal at his mercy, but amid growing frustrations at the Madejski Stadium there were chances for the visitors to double their lead after the break.

Larsson, serving up his best performance since arriving on a free transfer last month, twice came close from set-pieces. One free-kick thumped the crossbar and another clipped off the wall, sending Mannone scrambling to his left to prevent what would have been a fortuitous second on the line.

Fraizer Campbell of Hull City celebrates his goal during the Sky Bet Championship match at the Madejski Stadium, Reading. (Image: Focus Images Limited)

The 713 travelling fans behind that goal were nevertheless beginning to believe in an overdue away win as the minutes ticked down. Stam’s tactical decisions were jeered, a sure sign of a visitor in the ascendancy, and City almost produced what was almost a wonderful killer blow.

Fikayo Tomori, who continues to make a case for being the most astute of City’s 11 summer signings, ran at Reading’s defence, skipping past a string of unconvincing challenges. On he went, all the way through to the home team’s defence, before dragging a left-foot shot wide.

Most suspected it would matter little but Reading had other ideas. Tomori’s half-cleared header at the opposite end was pounced upon by Aluko, whose first-time pass sent the ball in behind Michael Dawson and Michael Hector. Bodvarsson did the rest, drilling low past McGregor from the right edge of the box.

Slutsky’s gesture of putting a gun to his head would follow within half an hour but the Tigers had already shot themselves in the foot. And not for the first time on their travels in 2017.